The European Union wants to build deeper defence links with Australia amid global instability.

The European Union’s highest-ranking official proposed the concept to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a meeting in Rome yesterday, indicating that it would align with similar EU defense alliances with other countries.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen raised the idea when she met the prime minister after the inaugural mass for Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican.

“And this is the reason also that we do not only see you as a trading partner, but we see you as a strategic partner. And we would very much like to broaden this strategic partnership.”

“For example, we have signed security and defence agreements with South Korea and with Japan, soon with the UK.

“We would be very pleased if we could develop such a security and defence partnership too, just to broaden the strategic partnership.”

Albanese gave a cautious reaction to the plan, but said the federal government was open to a defence partnership.

“We said that we were certainly interested in any further engagement of support, but it’s very early stages at this point,” he said.

Albanese also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Rome and promised continued Australian aid against Russia, including the delivery of Abrams tanks.